Writer and Librarian

Holiday Reads

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. The house is cozy, the tree is lit, and later the house will be filled with the smell of Chinese takeout. I sit in a chair by the fire, listening to A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, telling everyone who walks by about the one time I read the third lesson at a service when I was in high school. (It was epic.)

I think about Christmases past, feeling wistfulness slide across my heart. I remember with tender melancholy family and friends far away, or long departed. I fret about the year ahead, wondering what the world will look like next Christmas. Then I remind myself that the past is gone and the future hasn’t happened yet. There is only the present moment. (Being a Buddhist on Christmas – or really at any time – has some advantages.)

But mainly I’m here to share two short fiction pieces that were inspired by Christmas. The first was published by MicroHorror a few years ago. The link to the story itself is broken, so I’m publishing the entire story right here on the blog, as well as the backstory to the work itself.

And….drum roll, please…I’m also publishing a new story on the blog. I wrote it a couple of years ago for a contest. The parameters for the work were that it had to be about the holidays and it had to be 250 words or less. So I sat down at the keyboard and Blue Christmas came out. I like this story – it’s short and creepy. Enjoy!

Best wishes for a wonderful, not-so-creepy holiday season to you and yours.